Improvement in cotton-presses



W. W. KNOWLES.

Cotton-Press.

Patented April 6,1875.

"ATTORNEYS WlTNESSES MJM THE GRAPHIC CO.PHOTO.-LITH.39&41 PARK PLAGENX.

WILLIAM W. KNOWVLES, OF BASTROP, TEXAS.

IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON-PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 161,795, dated April 6,1875 application filed October 31, 1874.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WADSWORTH KNOWLES, of Bastrop, in the countyofBastrop and State of Texas, have invented a new and valuableImprovement in Cotton-Presses; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the constructionand operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings,making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawingis a representation of a plan View of mycotton-press. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same, and Fig. 3 is adetail view.

This invention has relation to cotton-presses of the upright kind; andthe nature thereof consists in combining, with a pulley-wheel keyed uponthe shaft of a gear-wheel actuating the follower-screw, and a largerpulley-wheel keyed upon the shaft ofa gear-wheel actuating a cog-wheelupon the end of the first shaft, a friction-pulley upon the end of anactuatingshaft, having its bearings at one end in the press-frame, andat the other in a vibrating lever, whereby the said friction-pulley canbe brought to bear against the larger pulley, for the purpose of runningup the follower, or against the smaller pulley for the purpose ofrunning it down, by drawing the said lever inward or outward, as will behereinafter more fully explained.

This invention is designed as an improvement on Letters Patent grantedme August 30, 1870, and reissued March 31,1874; and the distinguishingfeature of invention between the Letters Patent above alluded to andthis invention consists in the above-described construction of parts, bymeans of which the follower is operated slowly in pressing the cottoninto bales, and is moved in the contraryd-irection, or when not pressingthe cotton more rapidly,-so as to save time, as I will now proceed todescribe.

In the annexed drawings, A A designate two beams of apress-platform,which are rigidly secured together by means of braces a a, and intowhich are mortised, or otherwise suitably secured at right angles to thebeam A, two parallel beams, B B, having an end brace, 12, and anintermediate. brace, 11, as shown in the drawings, Fig. 1. Thepress-platform thus described is supported on legs 0 of sufficent lengthto raise it some distance from the ground. Between the beams A A twouprights, G, are properly secured, into the opposite inner surfaces ofwhich deep rectangular vertical grooves c are out, for the purpose ofguiding the follower D, having upon its ends arms cl, which are receivedinto the said grooves, thereby preventing all lateral displacement,while permitting it free vertical movement. The press-box is not shownin the drawings, but is intended to be of the usual construction, and toreceive within it, from below, the follower D. The follower has a deepangular groove cut into it, thereby forming a flange, d along its loweredge, for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. It is also providedwith a strong metallic plate, 0, which is rigidly secured to its underside, and to which is rigidly attached in any suitable manner the upperend of a follower-screw, S, which passes through a centrally-perforatedand screw-threaded bevel-wheel, F, rotating in a block, Gr, rigidlysecured to the beams A A. structed with a cylindrical extension, g,which is received into a correspondiugly-shaped depression in thebearing-block G, which is also centrally perforated to allow of thepassage through it of the follower-screw. H designates a shaft rotatingin bearings upon the brace b and the beam A, having upon its inner end acog-wheel, I, and upon the other end a large cog-wheel, 1, betweenwhich, and preferably close up against the latter, of which it may forma part, is applied a cylindrical pulley, J, the periphery i of which maybe roughened, for a purpose which I will hereafter explain. K designatesa second shaft, having its bearings upon the braces Z) 6, upon which arekeyed a small cog-wheel, L, and a pulley-wheel, L, in the same verticalplane, respectively, with the cog-wheel I and pulley J, 'hereinbeforementioned. The pulley-wheel L is, however, of considerably greaterdiameter than the pulley-wheel J, the discrepancy being intentional,with a view to producing a certain useful result, which will be fullyshown hereinafter. M designates a third shaft, having its bearings uponthe beam A at The under side of this wheel is conone end, and in avertically-Vibrating lever, O, at the other, which shaft has keyed uponits inner end a pulley-wheel, P. The lever O has its fulcrum upon theintermediate brace 12 of the press-platform, and the pulley P is in thesame vertical plane with and between the pulleys L and J, having aslight endwise play therein. Upon the outer end of the shaft M is anactuating-pulley, N, by means of which horse-power or steam may beapplied for actuating the follower. It is also provided with a crank-armwhen neither steam nor other motive power is attainable. When thecrankarm P is actuated, the lever 0 being vertical to thepress-platform, no result will be obtained, as the pulley P in thisposition will be in contact with neither the pulleys J nor L but if thelever is drawn outward the pulley P will be brought in contact with thepulley L, thereby communicating motion to the cogwheel L, thence to thebevel-wheel]? through the medium of cog-wheels I 1 and their shaft H,and running up the follower. If the said lever be thrust inward, thepulley P will be forced against the small pulley J, imparting a rapidreverse motion to the shaft H, and running down the follower D. It is aprinciple in mechanics that what is gained in speed is lost in power,and the reverse, and I have applied this principle in the constructionof the pulleys L J, using the larger, L, whereby great power is attainedat the expense of speed in running up the follower when power isrequired, and sacrificing power where it is not needed, to obtain speedin running down the follower, by using a smaller pulley, J. The flange dis designed to allow of the application of a bagging to the uppersurface of the followerwhile it is in the upper part of the press-box,the bagging being tied into the groove by means of strings. The followermay be then run down and cotton thrown into the press-box without thedelay of waiting until the follower has descended, and without danger oftearing the bagging loose from the follower.

I am aware that it is not new in gearing to increase or decrease thespeed of a gear-wheel by the employment of intermediate pinions ofdifferent diameters, either of which may be made to engage with thegear-wheel by a clutch mechanism, or its equivalent, and I therefore layno claim, broadly, to such invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- l. Thecombination of the pulley P on the horizontally-vibrating shaft M, thepulley L on the shaft K, and the pulley J on the shaft H, all arrangedin the same horizontal plane, the pulley L being of greater diameterthan the pulley J, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the horizontallyvibrating actuating'shaft M, ofthe verticallyvibrating lever O, pivoted to the intermediate brace b,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

.WILLIAM VVADSWOR'III KNOWLES.

WVitnesses:

J. G. BUCHANAN, W. (J. POWELL.

